Why Should You Study Abroad?

One of the many things I suggest doing while you are a college student is studying abroad. I cannot begin to express the amount of things I have learned about myself from taking on an experience like this. I have always had a goal in my min about studying abroad but never thought it would be possible. I always dreamed of going to Spain, but after seeing many people go, it took away the desire. I wanted to travel to a place no one (I knew) had ever been. This is when the crazy idea of studying abroad in China arose…and I am so happy it did!

First thing I want to mention is that in this blog post I am mostly going to talk about why you should studying abroad, and not necessarily my experience. I can do that on another blog post if you would like to see that. It is actually kind of funny that now (three years later) after having studied abroad I am finally doing what I have always wanted which is blogging. My intention was to travel while I was abroad but that failed with all of the security I had to bypass to even access Facebook while in China. That can be another story for later. There are also other articles that explain the importance of studying abroad: here and here.

One of the reasons why you should study abroad is because of the amount of different types of food you will get to try. I used to be so picky about my food, but boy did that change when I was in China. It is actually kind of funny because I used to hate Chinese food before I left. I am not the complete opposite and love it! Who would have known, right? You get the opportunity to try different meals wherever you decide to study abroad at.

Another reason I suggest studying abroad is because you will get the opportunity to meet and connect with different individuals. I did not do a good job of connecting with those who also studied abroad in the same place as I did. I was going through some difficult things at the time and did not have any intention of meeting “friends” (don’t do this). However, I did want to meet friends and people that resided in Shanghai, so I did that! I recommend doing that because they get to tell you more about the country they grew up in and you get to also learn more of the language by speaking to them.

I also was interviewed one time and shared my study abroad experience. I received so much positive feedback from it, which I thought was unusual. I know a lot of people say it looks good on a resume, but I actually never had someone tell me how significant it was. I never tried to study abroad for those reasons at all. However, the compliment was that I was willing to adapt to a different lifestyle and take on the challenge. This meant that with any change in any organization I would be able to adapt. So think about it, studying abroad could perhaps help you get a job as well!

You have the opportunity to see the world in a different way. This is really hard to explain, but once you are abroad you don’t take things for granted. You learn to be on your own and make an effort to appreciate the world we get to live in and travel. It’s seriously so fascinating to see new things and understand a little about the culture you are visiting. I cannot explain it enough, your mind will be blown away that you will love traveling and will want to do it more often.

In the end, studying abroad has many perks. You get to live in a different place and learn a new language. You are accustomed to a new culture that is completely different than what you are used to and that is the beauty of it. You are not afraid of what the unknown has to offer. I was able to learn a lot about myself as a person, grow closer to my family, and not take things for granted. It is a blessing to be able to study abroad. The reason I grew closer to my family is because I was literally living miles away, and missing on so much. I knew that in my heart, what made me the happiest, was being close to them. This is why I knew that after graduation, I wouldn’t get a job out of the state. But don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I still won’t continue to travel…oh I will! I just don’t want to do it alone. I have amazing people around me that I wish to travel with them instead.

Please leave a comment down below on where you wish you could study abroad at!